CHAPTER 60: CHAPTER 60: SHE SAID HIS NAME LIKE A PRAYER

"She was Luna’s daughter," Kael said hoarsely. "Why would he—?"

"Because he wanted to make her give in to his demand," Maela interrupted, her voice suddenly sharper. "He needed her for his purpose. And when she wouldn’t, he threw her to the wolves."

Luca flinched.

"She was sent to the omega quarters. Not as one of them. But beneath them. A girl with noble blood, living in filth. Sleeping in sheds. Starving with scraps. Wearing torn clothes that didn’t fit. Her name became a curse. The omegas bullied her and beat her, and Eirik let them. No, worse... he rewarded them."

Lucian’s jaw ticked violently, like it was taking every ounce of will not to snap in half.

"He made it a game," Maela spat. "The more they hurt her, the more he praised them. She lived like that for years. Alone and Tortured."

"Why didn’t anyone stop it?" Aeron rasped.

"Because no one dared," Maela said. "And then... something changed."

She exhaled, slow and heavy.

"She stopped crying. She stopped begging." Her voice dropped. "And she started fighting back."

"She was eleven the first time she broke another omega’s arm," Maela went on. "By thirteen, no one dared touch her. Not because she had protection—but because they feared what she’d do. She grew fierce. Quiet. Hard. She taught herself how to survive. How to endure."

She looked at the alphas now, and her gaze was nothing short of fire.

"But Alpha Eirik wasn’t done with her. No. If anything, her strength made him hate her more. Because she wouldn’t yield. Wouldn’t cry. And definitely wouldn’t give in to his demand."

Kael had turned away, his back to the room, breathing raggedly. Luca’s eyes were glassy. Aeron stood rooted, unreadable, but every muscle in his body screamed tension.

"So he started beating her," Maela said softly. "With his fists. With a whip. Whenever something went wrong in his pack—he blamed her. And when she still didn’t scream..."

She looked down.

"...he would aim for an even crueler method."

A moment passed in silence.

"She never cried," Maela said. "She never asked me for help. Not once. Just held onto her mother’s words, clung to them like armor."

"And then one day, everything changed again."

Maela’s voice grew quieter. Heavy. Dreadful.

"She came to me, pale and shaking. Told me Alpha Eirik had ordered her to dress up. Said he was taking her to a pack celebration."

Luca looked up slowly, blood draining from his face.

"She was terrified. She didn’t know why he wanted her there, but she felt it—something was wrong. She begged me not to make her go, but there was nothing I could do. She had no choice."

Maela’s gaze lifted to the four of them again.

"And that celebration... was yours. Your eighteenth birthday."

A dead silence fell.

Aeron’s breath caught.

Kael turned slowly, his face pale.

Lucian’s mouth opened—but no words came out.

Maela’s eyes softened, distant now, as if she were seeing a memory unfold right in front of her.

"But something changed that night," she whispered. "Something... woke inside her."

She smiled faintly, but it was a smile wrapped in sorrow.

"I was dreading the moment she left for your pack. I paced all evening. Cried all night. I kept thinking—what would happen to her in a different territory? In a place where she had no one? What if she didn’t come back? What if she was used, hurt, or broken even more?"

Her voice broke on that last word. The alphas stood frozen.

Kael’s eyes had turned glassy now. Luca was pressing his palm to his mouth. Aeron was silent, unmoving—but Lucian...

Lucian looked like a man who had lost his soul.

Maela went on.

"But then... when she came back... gods," she whispered, "I didn’t even recognize her."

The silence deepened.

"She burst through the door like sunlight. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes glowing. There was a sparkle there—bright and full of something I hadn’t seen since her mother died. Since she was little."

Maela’s eyes shone now too, remembering.

"She ran to me. Just threw her arms around me and cried. But they were not tears of pain. Not that time."

A trembling smile touched her lips.

"She said, ’Mammy... I think I found my crush. I think... I’ve fallen in love.’"

Lucian sucked in a sharp breath. His knees almost buckled.

"She said it like a girl who had just heard her heart beat for the first time," Maela murmured, voice cracking with emotion. "Like someone who’d only known darkness and suddenly caught a glimpse of the stars."

The old woman paused, placing a hand to her chest.

"She stayed up the whole night, talking about you all. About the food, the music, and the beauty of the celebration. But mostly... about how everyone looked at her. She said, ’Mammy, they looked at me like I was a little bird who could fly across the world. They didn’t see me as a burden. They didn’t see me as a dirty girl. They praised me. Me, Mammy. Like I was something precious.’"

Aeron turned away, his jaw clenched so tight his teeth might crack.

Kael’s shoulders were shaking.

"She said, ’I wish I was born in Silver Dawn. Maybe I’d have a real family then.’"

Lucian let out a choked sound, barely human.

Maela looked straight at him.

"She smiled when she said your name," she whispered. "A small smile. The kind that only comes when someone touches the soul."

Lucian’s head lifted, and their eyes met.

"She said, ’The heir of Silver Dawn Pack... Mammy, he’s the most handsome boy I’ve ever seen.’"

Lucian made a strangled sound and took a staggering step back.

"She described everything," Maela said, her voice low and filled with quiet wonder. "The way your hair caught the light. The curve of your smile. The way you laughed once at something small. She said, ’He’s just like the prince I used to dream of. I don’t even know him... but I want to.’"

Lucian fell to his knees.

"She said, ’His name is Lucian... Mammy, don’t you think... Selene and Lucian would sound beautiful together?’"

Maela’s voice cracked completely now.

"She said it like a prayer. Like a dream. ’Wouldn’t that be the best name in the whole world?’"

Maela’s voice turned soft again, nearly a whisper now—like she was speaking the words of a girl long gone, holding on to them like precious glass.

"And then... she said something I never forgot."

The room held its breath.

Maela blinked through the sting in her eyes. Her lips trembled as she repeated the words that had haunted her all these years.

"Mammy... What if he’s my mate?"

Lucian’s breath stopped.

"She said it like a secret," Maela whispered. "Like it was too sacred to say aloud. Like if she said it too loudly, the god might take it away."

Kael turned sharply, his throat working with a silent sob.

"She told me, ’Only mates fall in love at first sight, right? That’s what you always said. That the bond... it knows. Even before we do.’"

Lucian’s lips parted, but no sound came.

"And then she laughed," Maela went on, her voice cracking under the weight of memory. "Like a girl already dreaming of forever. ’Maybe that’s what this is, Mammy. Maybe the Moon Goddess gave me someone, too. What if it’s him? What if my mate is Lucian?’"

Lucian crumbled.

His knees hit the floor again with a thud that echoed through the chamber like thunder.

He bowed forward, hands trembling violently as they covered his face—like they could block out the memory of the girl he never saw, never protected, and never knew had looked at him like he was her destiny.

The sob that tore from his throat was raw.

It wasn’t rage. It wasn’t guilt. It was grief. A grief that cut so deep it left no skin behind. Because she had loved him.